GVA Advantis
Research: The competitive advantage

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GVA Advantis’ goal is to be the local expert in every market across the Southeast. The company has research experts who provide brokers and clients with customized research tailored for specific needs and goals. The result? The best available information for short-term investment considerations and long-term real estate strategies.

GVA Advantis’ research services ensure that brokers can confidently execute leasing and sales strategies with up-to-the-minute knowledge and historical market data that identifies trends with complete accuracy.

“The main role of research has shifted from mere data collection to true analysis,” says Tonya Ginter, CCIM, research director for GVA Advantis’ Washington D.C. and McLean offices. “After all, a data dump of information doesn’t mean anything unless you can make sense of it. Clients don’t want volume; they want an accurate and concise answer, based on their specific needs and interests.”

“Our brokerage professionals rely heavily on GVA Advantis’ research staff,” says Deborah K. Stearns, CPM, SIOR, president Virginia and Washington D.C. “The distribution of market reports is seen as an important value-add service by key clients and top prospects, and on several occasions has led to new business opportunities between regions. Research directors are often deeply involved in pitching new brokerage work. Their in-depth and up-to-date market knowledge is especially helpful in winning leasing assignments.”

In metro Washington D.C., Ginter researches, writes and distributes 31 targeted market reports every quarter. Ginter gets rave reviews and is known in the market as the “go-to” person for all things related to commercial real estate by clients, media and even some competitors.

“Detailed market reports provide a snapshot of the current real estate conditions such as inventory, vacancy rates, average lease terms, absorption and new projects under construction,” says Ginter. “For investment sales, we track all commercial sales in the 31 markets and analyze comparables, trends and even Treasury rates that may have an impact on pricing and values.”

The stakes are high in commercial real estate. One client in Richmond turned to Paul E. Denton, associate director of GVA Advantis in Richmond, to purchase a property marketed for sale by another firm for $2.85 million. “When Mr. [Deepak] Ranade approached us and said he was looking to purchase his first commercial investment property, I knew that I would have to rely heavily on research,” notes Denton.

Before any real negotiating can begin, an investor has to know everything about the property, the market, the trends and especially the true market value. Denton turned to the regional director of research, Perry H. Moss, CCIM. After completing a thorough property valuation, Moss concluded that a fair price would be $2.7 million, and the 15-page evaluation was delivered to Mr. Ranade. The negotiations concluded in a sales price of $2.698 million.

“It was fantastic, they helped me by explaining the numbers to make sure this was a viable business acquisition,” explains Ranade. “It made me feel comfortable and helped in the decision process – absolutely.”

The real key to a research department’s success is access to the best tools and training necessary to excel in the industry. GVA Advantis’ research team uses state-of-the-art software such as ARGUS (financial analysis) and MapInfo (digital mapping), and has earned the most respected professional designations such as CCIM (Certified Commercial Investment Manager).

“Some assignments are very creative,” adds Susan Childress, research director for Hampton Roads. “We had a regional bank client that had just merged with a national bank. We carefully plotted every bank branch to determine the ones to keep and the ones to sell. We also plotted every other bank in the region to determine the best locations for demographics, traffic and other variables. It was an interesting process that helped our client dispose of more than 15 excess properties.”

Want commercial real estate information at your fingertips? GVA Advantis Market Reports are available on the Web site at www.gvaadvantis.com. If you’d like to be included on the distribution list, please e-mail tginter@gvaadvantis.com and indicate what region and property type you are interested in.